Truth & Rumors: Rory McIlroy backlash in Ireland?

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Has the local hero from Holywood, Northern Ireland, gone too Hollywood? The Irish Times' Brian O'Connor defends Rory McIlroy from critics uncomfortable with McIlroy's embrace of celebrity, especially after his recent White House visit.

The tone was one of disappointment, of barely disguised disapproval. Our young fella with the swaggering gait and swing from God doesn’t look like the ordinary, unaffected kid from Norn Iron anymore. The star system is taking over, apparently.Rory has security now, and a high-profile girlfriend, and takes private jets, and gets invited to the White House, and hangs out with Clooney and Clinton and that red-haired bloke from Homeland, and promises to help Obama with his swing, and generally looks like he is way too-at-ease in celebrity-land.Boo! To which one can only ask, what is Rory supposed to do? RSVP Obama and say he can’t accept an invitation to the leader of the free world’s gaff because there might be a few hacks out there with enough time on their hands to ponder whether Rory is keeping it real, like? Sometimes it’s just plain inevitable that sporting passions lead us to ascribe human virtues in proportion to the wondrous talent in front of us. Journos are no different to anyone else. In fact, sometimes there’s almost a sense of ownership about it.

[Her parents] will be making the move from Palo Alto to Jupiter as well. [Her parents] shadowed Wie during her regular practice sessions in Northern California, traipsing along in a golf cart, and they travel with her to every LPGA event. The habit drew not-so-muffled criticism over the years, and it seems their role will not subside once Wie is a college graduate.B.J. comes across as calm and rational, but that's not always the image Bo projects. She's a onetime amateur champion in South Korea, openly emotional when watching her daughter play. Observers describe her as living and dying with every shot as she follows Michelle at tournaments, screaming at times. There are two ways to view this. On one hand, Wie's parents allowed Michelle some independence at Stanford. Then again, they lived in Palo Alto and now will join her in Jupiter.